PR-MONTGOMERY- Will Hanna wrap up

Advanced Transmission Center Racing
media relations

For Immediate Release
July 20, 2005
Contact: Will Hanna/ Pro Race Communications
Email: Will.Hanna@InsideTopAlcohol.com

Weather and tricky track derails ATC Racing debut

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Excessive amounts of rain and a very tricky track surface derailed the anticipated debut of Harry Clack's ATC Racing NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car wheeled by Will Hanna at this past weekend's Division 2 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Montgomery Motorsports Park. Heavy rains on Friday canceled the test session the team had planned on to complete Hanna's competition license.

Hanna, 26, of Richwood, Texas, still needed one more run quicker than 6.20 at 205 mph to complete his NHRA Competition License upgrade from his current Super Comp license. The team had posted a 5.99 at 236 in testing at Houston Raceway Park, and felt they had the combination to get the license and compete in Montgomery.

"Ultimately the weather threw us behind the eight ball," said Hanna. "We planned on making three to four laps on Friday to not only get my license finished up, but get some seat time. Bill Holt and the entire Division 2 staff was really good to us in trying to get our license in, but it just didn't work out. They were going to give us as many time trials as we needed to get it done before qualifying on Saturday. We got one in the morning, but it went left and got up next to the wall quick, and I had to shut it off. It had a pretty major fuel system problem, which took some extra time in the pit to figure out and fix. Right when we got ready to go for another lap, the bottom dropped out of the sky and rained hard. That pushed me back into the first qualifying session to not only get my license, but also qualify for the event."

"You could see more rain coming, so I figured this was my only shot," Hanna continued. "I guess I put too much pressure on myself. I was trying a little too hard to make it happen, I tried to drive it through some pretty intense tireshake, and when I went to pedal it, it hiked the front end up and hooked hard right, taking out the 330' cone. We thought we were going to get the final qualifying session in, but it started raining right before they called us to the lanes."

Despite not having the debut they had hoped for, Hanna cites the team's morale is still up, and they will regroup in testing.

"Despite us not getting to compete, there still were some good things that came out of the event," stated Hanna. "One, the team did an excellent job. They are really coming together as a unit getting the car serviced in between rounds. To see them turning the car around as quick as they do and this is only our first race, is really special. Harry, J.B. Hudson, my dad Rick, Dale Babin, Kevin Sonnier and Nick Breaux really did an outstanding job. Two, I learned a valuable lesson as a driver of what not to do. Jay Payne and Mark Billington, two experienced drivers came up to me told me that track just wasn't a good track for a rookie. They both had a hard time getting down it as well. We'll go back to Houston and finish up my license in a few weeks, and possibly 're-debut' at the Topeka Divisional."

The team will return to Houston Raceway Park for testing August 13-14, and possibly head for the Division 5 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at Heartland Park in Topeka, Kan., Aug. 26-28. Stay tuned to InsideTopAlcohol.com for the latest news in alcohol racing.

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